For me, the 8th Principle is grounded in our Universalist theology. Our Universalist ancestors believed in universal salvation: that an all-loving God would not condemn anyone to everlasting damnation — that all would go to heaven. Our concept of universal salvation has evolved over time into one of an all-loving community here on earth. Our […]
According to law professor Kimberle Crenshaw, intersectionality is the idea that, if you are standing in the path of multiple forms of exclusion, you’re likely to get hit by more than one. For example, Black women cross an intersection and are hit by both racism and sexism. The race ambulance and the gender ambulance arrive […]
The proposed 8th Principle calls on us to “dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” Does this imply that we are racists? That’s not how I see it. Ibram Kendi, in his book How to be an Antiracist, argues that it is not useful to label people as “racist” or “not racist.” […]
UUCT CAJM Network Members are working with CAJM research committees developing policy proposals for Affordable Housing and Gun Violence/Policing. The two committees will meet with Team Leaders from all the congregations on February 22 to share their work. At the full CAJM network Pep Rally on March 8th, the committees will reveal the action proposals to be presented to […]
Unitarian Universalist Justice Florida (UUJF), is a statewide justice ministry for members of the 44 Unitarian Universalist congregations in Florida and their social justice committees in partnership with other interfaith and public interest organizations to promote justice, equity, and compassion in public policy. Currently for UUJF the focus is the 2022 Legislative Session now through […]
The Tallahassee Community Remembrance Project (TCRP) hosts the first annual remembrance program for Leon County’s lynching victims on the afternoon of Saturday, February 12. The TCRP is a coalition of forty-six partner organizations and faith communities, including UUCT. The remembrance begins at 2:00 pm in Cascades Park, at the historical marker near the corner of […]
Climate Action can take many forms: mitigation through reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation through preparation, and advocacy for those measures at the world, federal, state and local level. Using a navy call for “all hands on deck”, personal responsibility is also key. The experts on energy issues have often said “There is no such thing […]
The most compelling reason for the 8th Principle is that members of color have asked the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to adopt it, as our commitment to the long-term work of dismantling racism and other oppressions. The UUA charged the Article II Commission with the review of our faith’s purpose, principles, and sources, including consideration […]
The 8th principle was originally the brainchild of Paula Cole Jones, a lifelong member of All Souls UU Church, Washington, DC. As she worked with congregations on racial and social justice, she noticed that a “good UU” could follow the seven principles without thinking directly about racial justice. In 2013, Jones, an African American former […]
At the annual congregational meeting in May, UUCT will vote on a resolution to adopt the wording of the 8th Principle. “We, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle […]
